Padronização de modelo biológico para a avaliação do potencial ansiolítico de plantas do cerrado utilizando o peixe Danio rerio

Abstract

It is estimated that approximately 10% of Brazilian population has some type of anxiety disorder; an index three times higher than the world’s population. Due to the large amount of side effects observed in conventional treatments for these disorders, complementary and phytotherapic treatments are highlighted. The present study aimed to evaluate the anxiolytic potential of the essential oil of Cymbopogon citratus, that was applied to the fish Danio rerio, assessed through the scototaxis protocol. Regarding the number of crosses between the white and black compartments, no change was observed among fish that were subjected to the unpredictable stress and control protocol or among fish treated with clonazepam and Cymbopogon citratus essential oil. The latency for entering the white compartment also showed no significant difference between treatments. In conclusion, the scototaxis test was not efficient for the evaluation of anxiety in the species Danio rerio, since it was not possible to observe any preference of the animals studied in relation to the light or dark environment. This way, it is possible that animals reared in excessively light and bright environments do not show the same preference for the dark compartment, which can make the test unfeasible for the assessment of anxiety.